CALA Medication Management & Pharmacy Services 3

Question 1

Which class of medications requires the most stringent monitoring in assisted living residents because of the high risk of falls, sedation, and cognitive decline in older adults?

Accepted Answer

Psychotropic medications

Answer

Antihypertensives

Answer

Vitamins and supplements

Answer

Topical analgesics

Question 2

Under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) standards applicable to some assisted living contexts, antipsychotic medications used for behavioral symptoms in dementia residents require which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Documented clinical justification, informed consent, and regular reassessment for continued need

Answer

No special documentation beyond the standard MAR

Answer

A court order before each administration

Answer

Approval by the state health department before prescribing

Question 3

A resident's medication is recalled by the FDA due to contamination concerns. What is the administrator's first priority action?

Accepted Answer

Immediately quarantine the recalled medication, stop administration, notify the prescribing physician, and contact the pharmacy for replacement

Answer

Wait for the pharmacy to proactively notify the facility

Answer

Dispose of the medication without notifying anyone to avoid alarming residents

Answer

Continue administration until a replacement is available

Question 4

What documentation must accompany a resident when they are transferred from an assisted living facility to a hospital emergency department regarding their medications?

Accepted Answer

A current medication list or medication administration record showing all current medications, doses, and frequencies

Answer

Only the resident's insurance card

Answer

A list of only the medications administered in the last 24 hours

Answer

The facility's pharmacy contract

Question 5

Which practice best supports safe medication self-administration for cognitively intact assisted living residents who prefer to manage their own medications?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a self-administration assessment, document the resident's capacity, store medications safely, and monitor for changes in condition

Answer

Allow unlimited unsupervised self-administration with no facility oversight

Answer

Prohibit all self-administration to reduce liability

Answer

Require a family member to be present for every self-administration episode

Question 6

When disposing of unused or expired non-controlled medications in an assisted living facility, which method is most consistent with EPA and DEA guidelines?

Accepted Answer

Returning medications to a DEA-authorized take-back location or using an FDA-approved disposal method per facility policy

Answer

Flushing all medications down the toilet

Answer

Throwing all medications directly into the regular trash without any preparation

Answer

Giving unused medications to other residents with similar diagnoses

Question 7

An assisted living administrator is reviewing the facility's medication error log and notices a pattern of missed doses during weekend shifts. The most appropriate systemic response is to:

Accepted Answer

Conduct a root cause analysis, identify contributing factors (staffing, training, workload), and implement process improvements to prevent recurrence

Answer

Discipline the individual staff members involved without investigating further

Answer

Remove the medication from the formulary to eliminate errors

Answer

Increase the frequency of medication rounds to compensate for missed doses